A Bump in the Night

I got a neat package in the mail today. I got one of Super7's Ghost Land figures by Brian Flynn. In case you don't know what these guys are, it's a blind boxed series of 5 different rotocast vinyl figures in several colorways. They retailed at $15 each when they were released-- if you look around a bit you can get them for a good bit less (I got mine for $8.88). This series was released in 2006, so it's not exactly the newest toy I ever got, but that's OK... it's still pretty darn awesome! The line is centered around the idea that when wayward spirits leave this plane of existence they go on to a place called Ghost Land. Each character has a story about what led to his demise. The characters aren't really kaiju, but you can certainly tell that their roots are in that world.

Check out the package!



This puppy is made of tin! How crazy is that? How often do you get a sweet box like this with your blind boxed figures? Next to never, that's how often!



Flynn designed everything about the line from the figures to the box art. It's a beauty of a package!



Even the inside of the box features Flynn's characters. WICKED!



So this is my guy, BUMP. According to the pamphlet that comes with the figure, Bump is, "A shy and introverted goliath, his hairy head was the last thing that went bump in the night." Awwwwww!



He's such a cute little guy! He's molded in translucent yellow vinyl with silver painted eyes and mouth.



He features one point of articulation at the "neck." Doesn't seem like much, but this style of mini-figure usually only sports the one joint. Think back to when you were a kid... did you really care about thousands of joints on your figures? Nah... you just hopped them along and played like a goon!



The sculpt is nice and smooth, much like Flynn's artwork. He's not overly cluttered with details-- it's a very stylized look and feel. When you hold this figure it just feels "right" in your hand.



The figure stands 3 inches tall and is 2 inches wide. The vinyl it is cast in is fantastic... it's that thick, dense Japanese vinyl that just can't be topped. Japanese mini-figures this size and quality often cost you 25-40 bucks (and some cost more)... so you're getting a steal of a deal with these guys!



See his widdle boo-boo? How adorable is that? :D



Here you can see how he stacks up to some of his other Japanese vinyl toy buddies.



And here he is with some more common figures.

If you have been wanting to get into Japanese vinyl collecting but have been holding back because of the cost, check these little dudes out. They're a steal at this price, and they're pretty easy to find. You might even find them at some online stores on sale. Once you get one in hand you'll be tempted to get more... I know I just ordered my second one! Weeee!

Kaiju For Japan

Artist Troy Stith held an open call for artists to contribute custom toys for a sale to benefit the victims of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. Kaiju For Japan will be live on Friday, April 22nd 2011 at 4PM EST. The benefit features a drove of fantastic artists who make my work look like a joke! I'm extremely honored to be helping out along with these gifted creators! 100% of all proceeds go directly to disaster relief. Take a look at the poster for a list of the contributors:


CLICK TO ENLARGE

This is my piece that I have contributed to the benefit. I know the Armodoc isn't really a kaiju, but Troy has opened his arms to welcome any custom figures that will be donated to the cause. I call this custom the Rising Sun Armodoc-- I wanted to give it a feeling of being a battle-worn and time-ravaged juggernaut that refuses to stop no matter what the world throws at it. The resiliency of the Japanese people has always impressed me greatly, and I hope my meager contribution helps them in some small way.





The customs will be available for purchase at Troy's online store here.

Eye see you!

This is a Mini Eyezon from Mark Nagata's Captain Maxx Mini Kaiju series. This little dude is a 4 inch tall rotocast soft vinyl kaiju (Japanese for "mysterious beast") toy from Max Toy Co. Mark created a whole line of crazy critters to honor the toys that he played with as a kid. He named his company after his son Max, a move that I approve of greatly!

You can check out all of his stuff here: http://www.maxtoyco.com/

The first release of these mini kaiju figures were cast in this crazy pink vinyl... and when I say pink I mean "mind-melting toxic pink!" I have yet to see someone capture on film just how abnormally pink these things are!!!

The character was designed by Mr. Nagata, and the toy was sculpted by Yoshihiko Makino. The sculpt is so darn good, but the pink doesn't really allow you to see all the awesome details on this tiny guy... so I decided to paint it up!

It took me forever to get some extra time to do it and to decide how I wanted it painted. I blame the final results on my nephew Daniel and my friend Stefanie who both suggested the idea of a molten monstrosity. Thanks, you two! I guess great minds think alike!







I loved painting this little dude up! Mark Nagata's design is so much fun, and the sculpt by Yoshihiko Makino just lends itself to being painted. The vinyl was great too... I was kind of worried about paint adhesion at first because the vinyl felt kind of slick, but it took the paint without a problem at all!

If you can get your hands on one of these figures I can't recommend it enough for customizing! YAY!!!! This is going to be a custom I keep... I have fallen in love with the actual figure, and I think it would be nice to keep this lil' guy in my collection!

SNEAK ATTACK!!!!!

OH NOES! The Kawaiiju are back!!! Click the pic below to see how you can get in on it! Hurry! Time is limited!

Sketchbook Mega-dump!

My father has been in and out of the doctor's office and hospital for tests and such lately. I have been driving him there, so I have been in waiting room after waiting room sketching like crazy to avoid watching Doctor Phil (is it a law that all waiting room TV's HAVE to be tuned to Dr. Phil???? I really hate that guy).

Enjoy:

Caption This!

I got a really cool package in the mail today, and it had an extra kaiju toy that I wanted to share with one of my readers here. This little goon is called Gaigareid-Neo, and he's from one of the Ultraman series:



He's made of soft vinyl and stands about 4 inches tall. He's a really cool little dude that you don't see everyday!

To win him and a few other crazy things I'll throw in your package, just caption this picture:



I want to laugh... so make a caption for this picture that's as funny as can be! The funniest caption will win the prize package! Post your entries in the comments section below! You have until Saturday night to enter, so go for it! One entry per person, but feel free to tell your friends! Have fun, kids!

Real Custom Head

So a friend of mine asked me to customize one of his RealXHead figures...

Now... I don't know if you know anything about RealXHead stuff, but it's a tad pricey. I don't think I'd have the heart to buy a 60 dollar toy and put paint on it. So when someone else has one and asks me to do it I consider it QUITE an honor. It's not every day that someone says "Hey, man, can you lay paint on my expensive plastic monster?" So I jumped at the opportunity. This is the first RealXHead figure I ever modified in any way whatsoever, so be gentle with me.












Thanks for looking, and thanks for the opportunity, man!